Join us for happy hour at Ozumo restaurant in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday, July 22, 2014 from 5-7pm to celebrate the launch of the New Generation Nikkei Fund in San Francisco!

Looking for a quick, easy way to do some good and make an impact in your community? NGNF is all about connecting community non-profit organizations serving our Japantown communities with the next generation of community supporters. Come find out how with a minimum donation of $25, you can make the deciding votes to fund programs and non-profit organizations that serve San Francisco’s Japantown.

We’ll be hosting a happy hour where you can meet our committee and learn how to join our statewide movement to support the future of our San Francisco and San Jose Japantown and Los Angeles Little Tokyo communities, all while enjoying appetizers and drinks and mingling with other NGNF donors. The happy hour has also been made possible with the support of Nakayoshi Young Professionals.”

Anyway, this is becoming an annual tradition for Lynne and Marc Benioff – deets below.

Standing in front of the half-billion UCSF Mission Bay children’s hospital with their name on the front:

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All the deets, released this AM:

“Marc and Lynne Benioff are making the following donations:

· $250,000 to Catholic Charities CYO’s Star Community Home to provide temporary housing and assistance to families in need. This will be executed as a challenge grant, whereby contributions by the public to support Star Community Home will be matched dollar for dollar by the Benioffs, up to the amount of their gift.

· $230,000 to Hamilton Family Center’s First Avenues program to provide temporary rental subsidies to help at-risk families from becoming homeless.

· $70,000 to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Season of Sharing Fund to provide one-time temporary assistance to families experiencing unexpected crisis.

“Marc and I want to further our partnership with the City to break the cycle of homelessness for children and families in San Francisco,” said Lynne Benioff. “We hope that others will join us this holiday season to ensure the health and safety of every child in the City.”

For more information about the Catholic Charities CYO’s Star Community Home, go to: www.cccyo.org.

On November 24, 2011 at 2:45 AM, an attempted homicide occurred on the corner of 9th Ave/Geary. Prior to the incident the victim and suspect got into a physical altercation inside of a restaurant on the corner of 11th Ave/Geary in San Francisco. Both victim and suspect were eventually separated and left the restaurant. The victim then walked to a gas station located on 9th Ave/Geary. The suspect described as a mixed race or Latin male, 18-24 years old, with short black hair and a manicured beard was then seen getting into the pictured vehicle listed below and drove off.

The suspect then drove his vehicle, described as a black Mazda CX type SUV with possible front end damage, and twelve spoke sports rims into the gas station on 9th/Geary and intentionally struck the victim. The suspect fled the scene. Witnesses to the fight took photos of the suspect at the time of the fight. The victim received life threatening injuries due to being struck by the suspect vehicle.

San Francisco Police Criminal Investigations Unit is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect in this attempted homicide. Witnesses or persons with information are asked to call the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or “Text-a-Tip” at TIP411 from their cell phones. Please include “SFPD’ in the beginning of the text message.”

“This IS the legendary Jack-n-the-Box of SF! That’s right.. open 24 hours baby.. and with PARKING. Now if the SFPD were smart, they’d put a squad car here at midnight..because only after you’ve finished drinking your 5th pint does a couple of Jumbo Jack with extra mayo and with the burger drowned in ketchup actually sound tasty.

I remember when I used to come here late at night. It’s like a rainbow coalition meeting. You have your clubbers, pub crawlers, homeless and 3rd shifters getting their Jack on. Since the inside is small we were all elbow to elbow forced into a temporary bonding moment that even would make Martin Luther King smile as he watched his dream come true.

But that dream was crushed as they have started to lock their doors after 10pm. That’s right folks.. you are now limited to ordering through a walk-thru. If you haven’t seen the walk-thru it’s a contraption that relies on “The Cube” where you put your money through.”

“SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 27, 2011) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera today issued the following statement through his campaign for Mayor of San Francisco on a Board of Supervisors resolution expressing support for the controversial Central Subway project. Herrera published his 11-page issue paper on Sept. 8 outlining his opposition to the project as currently conceived on the basis of extensive evidence. The campaign issue paper detailed Herrera’s rationale for why the Central Subway project has ceased to be a prudent investment; why it will not improve MUNI service; and why it does not fulfill the objectives of a modern citywide transit system.

Herrera’s conclusion mirrored findings of the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury, whose July report after a seven-month investigation concluded that the Central Subway project was “too much money for too little benefit,” and should be redesigned.

The following is Dennis Herrera’s statement on the Board resolution today:

“Reasonable minds can disagree, but I strongly believe that the roughly $1-billion-per-mile cost of the Central Subway cannot justified by its purported benefits. As currently designed, it poses grave risks to MUNI’s financial stability and will adversely impact transit riders citywide. I respect the views of Board members who support the project, and I think we can all agree that the enormous costs and risks of this project to San Francisco taxpayers deserve a serious, substantive discussion about its relative merits. I welcome that debate, and hope it is one all the mayoral candidates will have in this election season.”

I am dismayed to hear your commentary regarding the Central Subway in the Board of Supervisors today. Certainly it has become a political football as we all know.

Full disclosure – in my opinon, there are better options for rider service than digging a tunnel. However, I think a well designed tunnel has a lot of benefit that might scale to larger solutions, so I cannot oppose the idea of such a tunnel.

However, if this subway does get built I feel it is imperative to move the Union Square station to connect directly at Powell. If we spend “over a Billion” dollars on this project, we must do it properly, otherwise it will not draw the support that will get us the money to extend the system further.

The transit dependent citizens of Chinatown – and transit dependent citizens of other neighborhoods – will be done a huge disservice if the subway goes in as it is designed. Every Saturday AM I ride the BART from the outer neighborhoods towards the East Bay. It is absolutely packed with senior citizens from Daly City who are headed to Chinatown, and whom transfer to the 30 at Powell Street Station. The reverse trip is also very common. Those people deserve a legitimate connection from BART and MUNI Metro to the Central Subway – not a series of escalators and a long walk to Union Square. The Central Subway supporters claim that the Union Square/Powell connection does exist, but as a reference the “combined” station will resemble the “Chatelet” station in Paris, which is used as a connection primarly by confused tourists who have yet to realize that the connection is worse than going above ground and walking to your destination.

This echos Supervisor Chu’s call for outer neighborhood connectivity – the current design reduces that connectivity! The average age of the riders I see on those trains is well over 60. In theory the 30 Stockton will still exist, but the operations funding needed to run the Central Subway will reduce the ability to run that line at frequency….”

I learned a thing or two there, didn’t you?

I mean, I just don’t understand how on Earth the Central Subway, as it’s proposed, makes sense.

3. Do you know that after they cancelled the Bridge to Nowhere, Sarah Palin went ahead and built the $26,000,000 connecting road anyway? It’s called the Road to Nowhere.

See it? They were going to build a Golden Gate Bridge so people in town could get to the airport on a road instead of on a ferry. The bridge was going to go in right at the lower right of the photo:

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Why should the federal government fund projects that can’t get financed on a more local level?

“Green Vehicles was co-founded by Ehab Youssef and Mike Ryan in the wake of a failed ZAP! dealership originally in Los Gatos, California. Disappointment in the state of the battery electric vehicle industry at the time led the small company to take on the ambitious goal of making the world’s most sustainably made, energy efficient freeway commuter.

In 2008, the company changed course, abandoning its manufacturing base in China for an 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) facility in Salinas, California in order to make changes to manufacturing operations more consistent with the principles on which the company was founded. Green Vehicles recently applied to the state of California and received supplemental funds to implement Design for Manufacturability and Design for Environment changes before increasing commercial production volumes of the Triac 2.0“

“On July 30, 2010, Green Vehicles was awarded a grant for over $2,050,000 by the California Energy Commission to assist the company’s efforts to scale up manufacturing operations in Salinas, California.

On July 18, 2011, Green Vehicles announced it had ceased operations, citing a lack of capital. Virtually all of its funding had come from state and local government grants”

“Two of Reed’s amendments would remove $23 million of funding for the Presidio Trust and $10 million for sewer construction in Tijuana, Mexico. The third would save $140 million by prohibiting an automatic pay increase for foreign service officers in the State Department.”

Is this like an annual thing, this effort to cut us off? Maybe not. Here’s the play-by-play from like 12 hours ago:

An amendment numbered 381 printed in the Congressional Record to reduce Presidio Trust, Presido Trust Fund by $15,000,000.”

Pick up the action at 5:00 right here. They’re talking about us in S.F. wasting federal funds:

” And when I look at the presidio trust fund and look at the park, it’s a great park, I concede that point, but the plan for the park was to be self-sufficient.”

“At this point, it’s time for us to put all our cards on the table and say, now that you are standing on your own two feet, when we face the fiscal crisis, this government now has to make a responsible decision.”

“We’re pleased to announce the opening of the Academy of Art University Atelier – a unique retail gallery space dedicated to showcasing the creative work of our students and alumni, where all profits will benefit the University’s Student Scholarship Fund.”

And best of all, it’s “ultra-curated,” baby. Per Carolyne Zinko and/or Cindy Ha, this new AAU joint:

“…showcases students’ work, including home decor, art, clothes for men, women and children, and jewelry. A few faculty and alumni, such as Gr.dano, are also included.”

Everybody on the scene is young, thin, and attractive so of course I fit right in. (And they looooove wearing black (lots and lots and lots of black), just like me!)

PG&E President Christopher P. Johns says that the 30-inch, long-haul natural gas pipeline that goes under San Bruno will be rerouted. That’s the news of the day from the office of Senator Leland Yee. Details below.

“Gas Pipeline to be Moved Out of San Bruno Neighborhood. At the urging of Senator, Mayor, and Families, PG&E Commits to Finding New Pipeline Location

SAN BRUNO – PG&E President Chris Johns has committed to moving the gas pipeline that ruptured on September 9 out of the San Bruno neighborhood, according Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane. Yee and Ruane, as well as several of the families impacted by the explosion, had requested that PG&E find a more suitable location.

“These families deserve an opportunity to rebuild without the possibility of this ever happening again,” said Yee. “The only way these families can recover is to move the pipeline out of their neighborhood. I look forward to working with Mayor Ruane – who has done an extraordinary job in leading his city during this difficult time – to find a more appropriate location.”

“We simply can not rebuild the neighborhood as long as that pipeline exists in its current location,” said Ruane. “Our families will not live there under those conditions and our city will never be able to heal.”

Johns made the commitment to relocate the pipeline yesterday while meeting with Ruane. Today, Yee and Ruane will meet with PG&E officials to begin the process of finding alternative locations for the pipeline.

“There are several competing interests in finding the appropriate location, but surely there must be a better place than through the middle of a residential neighborhood,” said Yee. “I am confident we can come together as a community and get this done right.”

Earlier this week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) signed into law a bill first introduced by Yee to provide disaster relief for the affected families of the San Bruno fires and to assist the County of San Mateo, City of San Bruno, and local schools.

Specifically, the bill allows a continuation of the $7,000 property tax exemption for homeowners who would have qualified for the exemption if their home had not been damaged or destroyed. In addition, the bill allows taxpayers (personal and business) to deduct income loss as result of the incident. Finally, the bill includes assistance to the County of San Mateo, City of San Bruno, and local schools by providing a one-year reimbursement from the State for any tax losses related to the lower property assessments of damaged or destroyed homes.

Following an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and a responsible party determined, the responsible entity would then have to pay back the state for the cost of the tax relief provided for in the legislation.

MAYOR NEWSOM ANNOUNCES PEARL’S DELUXE BURGERS TO OPEN AT VACANT SIXTH AND MARKET LOCATION
City financing and small business assistance enable award-winning burger restaurant to become a cornerstone in the ongoing revitalization of Central Market

San Francisco, CA—Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today that Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers, an award-winning burger restaurant, will open their fourth venue at 1001 Market Street at the corner of Sixth Street. Pearl’s is receiving financing from the Central Market Cultural District Loan Fund, an $11.5 million fund to encourage retail and arts businesses to locate on Market Street, and from the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s “Six on Sixth” revitalization program. Pearl’s on Market and Sixth Streets will add 22 – 33 construction jobs and 16 permanent jobs.

“Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers’ decision to sign a long-term lease at this challenging corner is another major step in the turnaround of Central Market,” said Mayor Newsom. “Through targeted financing programs, redevelopment resources and small business permitting and technical support, San Francisco is helping startups and small businesses grow while bringing new investment and jobs where they’re needed most.”

Pearl’s joins Blick Art Supply and a handful of other high-quality, small businesses such as Show Dogs, Archetype Boutique on Market Street and Passion Café and Miss Saigon on Sixth Street in a growing cluster of what is becoming the Central Market arts and cultural district and Sixth Street neighborhood shopping district.

Pearl’s received extensive assistance from City-funded Urban Solutions, a nonprofit organization providing small business assistance free of charge. Additionally, the building owners at 1001 Market Street helped facilitate the deal by providing collateral for the financing.

Sylvia Yi, co-owner of Pearl’s, said their decision to open at this location was largely due to the City’s assistance. She commented, “We see this as an opportunity to give back to the community by creating jobs, increasing commerce in this challenging area, and perhaps enticing other merchants to invest as well. Working withthe Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Redevelopment Agency, and Urban Solutions has been instrumental in making this project happen. As a native San Franciscan, it makes me proud to see our city officials reinvesting in our neighborhoods and working together withlocal merchants to create positive change. With this kind of effort and partnership, I envision the revitalization of Central Market and Sixth Street is well underway and Pearl’s is honored to be a small part of it.”

Pearl’s Deluxe Burgers was established in 2003 and is run by partners Sylvia and Young Yi. Pearl’s currently has three locations throughout the Bay Area, including on Post Street in the Theater District. Pearl’s has received numerous awards including “Best Burger in San Francisco” by SFWeekly and AOL Cityguide.com. Pearl’s has also been featured in the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate and recently appeared on Channel 5’s Eye On The Bay